Death harrumphed, her lips forming a small, satisfied smile. “Fine.” She closed her eyes and lifted her chin slightly as she took a breath.
I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there and watched her. After a minute or two, she exhaled and opened her eyes.
“It did not work. As I said.”
I scrunched my lips to the side and thought about it some more. Maybe she needed to be in the presence of the people she was cursing or, in this case, freeing. But that wouldn’t work. The Wards and the Velazquezes would never agree to come here. And if Charlie were here, he wouldn’t let me go through with this.
“Maybe you need a clearer picture,” I said instead. “Close your eyes again.”
Death let me know exactly how she felt about this by making an exasperated sound at the back of her throat, but she did eventually obey.
“Dig into your memory bank, to the night you appeared before the immortals.” Using some of the details from Angela’s journal entries, I painted the picture for Death. “They were just humans then, six young adults, high on their love for life and each other, gathered around the fire, sharing a meal, maybe telling jokes and stories. Laughing. Cuddling.” I felt a pang of sadness, realizing that’s probably what had drawn Death to them. They were the perfect example of what she wanted. I sighed and kept going. “They all secretly wished they could stop time, preserve those feelings forever. So you came onto the scene, appearing like a benevolent minor goddess—”
“Minor?” she asked, cracking an eye open to glare at me.
“Yes, minor,” I repeated. “You’re not all-powerful. Now, keep quiet and focus.”
Grumbling, she closed her eye.
“As I was saying, you appeared to them, out of one plane and into the other. You could see them more clearly then. They all had beautiful golden skin, black hair and dark eyes, but unique features started jumping out at you.”
Here I had to stop and think about the special features I could remember from each face. I started with Jerald and Angela because I was most familiar with them. “One of the young men had really bushy eyebrows and a stern mouth set in a hard line. There was a small mole on his chin too. The woman he protected had the most delicate little nose and ear combination, and the longest, wavy hair.”
The Wards came next. I’d only met with them once, but I’d seen enough campaign posters to remember their faces well. “Another man had a square-ish face and a very handsome jaw line. His were the broadest shoulders of all. The woman he had his arms around was slender, but with a large chest. There were three freckles on her right ear.”
The Velazquezes were the hardest. I’d only seen one wanted picture of them. But I did my best to remember what I’d seen. “The last pair kept to the shadows so you didn’t see as much of them as you did of the others. The man was shorter and leaner than his brothers, with pointed ears and a round nose. The woman with him was of the same height but with the plumpest lips you’d ever seen. Her hips were glorious.” I stopped before I could continue gushing about Mrs. Velazquez’s curves. I’d always envied girls with curves.
“Can you picture them all?” I asked.
Death nodded slowly.
“Good. Now, try taking your power back. Imagine draining it out of their bodies in a way that won’t hurt them. Leave them looking exactly the same,” I quickly added, because it would’ve been horrible if time caught up with the immortals as soon as they became…well, mortal again. They would age into withered old people and then crumble into dust like something out of a horror movie. I shuddered before continuing. “Imagine pressing play and letting the movie of their lives continue naturally.”
Death grasped at some invisible something with her hands still at her sides. Her aura pulsed. For a moment she almost became invisible, but quickly returned to her pearly glow.
I wanted to ask what was happening or if she felt anything different, but I didn’t want to interrupt her. I bit my tongue and waited, bouncing on the balls of my feet. At long last, she gasped and opened her eyes. She spent a second or two catching her breath. Then she looked up at me, a bit dazed.
“Incredible.”
I grinned, my heart soaring. “Did it work?”
“I believe so.” She gingerly touched her chest. “I feel a new reserve of power flowing through me.”
“That’s great. Now, do it again, only for me and Charlie.”
She didn’t hesitate to close her eyes this time. I felt a tug in my chest, like a ribbon had been tied to something in there but had since been loosened and was now slowly being pulled out of me. It hurt just enough to be uncomfortable. I grunted, wriggling a little in protest. But once it was over—
I laughed. I felt light as a feather, strong as an ox, healthy as any normal person. I was solid. I was whole.
Free.
Just like that, we were all free.
Death and I shared a big smile.
“You did it,” I said.
“I cannot believe it worked!” she squealed, bending her knees. “I always assumed I would need to exert more of my power to undo what I did. I never thought to extract my power from you that way. But it makes absolute sense! After all, I gifted pieces of myself to all of you so taking them back…Of course that would be the answer. Of course.” She wagged a finger at me. “You may be naive, Jasmine Campbell, but you are brilliant.”
I gave a little curtsy. “Thank you.”
The smile slipped from her face. “I have done what you asked. Are you still willing to trade places with me?”
My lightheartedness faded with her smile. I could stay in the land of the living. Celebrate being free of the curse alongside Charlie and the
